Automatic shakeout device for tight flask molds



Sept. 22, 1953 A. c. CHRISTENSEN 2,652,605

AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS Filed July 1. 1949 BSheets-Sheet i Q Q Q,

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AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS Filed July 1. 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 22, 1953 A. c. CHRISTENSEN AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS Filed July 1, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 f1: VEIZZ: 57.2"

Mifired ackz wstezas'ezz Patented Sept. 22, 1953 AUTOMATIC SHAKEOUT DEVICE FOR TIGHT FLASK MOLDS Alfred C. Christensen, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Herbert Simpson Corporation, Chicago, lit, a corporation of Illinois Application July 1, 1949, Serial No. 102,603

3 Claims.

This invention relates to foundry equipment. More particularly this invention has to do with an improved device for automatically dislodging the sand and solidified castings from a tight flask mold.

In my copending application, U. S. Serial No. 47,020, August 31, 1948, now matured into Patent No. 2,600,206, I have described and claimed a device for automatically removing the sand and the solidified casting from a tight flash mold. It is an important purpose of the present invention to disclose and claim an improved automatic shakeout device for this purpose.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide an improved means for automatically engaging a tight flask mold and disiodging the sand and casting therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide an eccentrically operated shakeout mechanism for vibrating the mold and dislodging the contents therein.

According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided a substantially horizontal conveyor on which the assembled mold, including the bottom board, the cope, the drag and the sand mold and the casting therein are carried along after the casting has solidified. As the mold travels along on the conveyor, the or handles extending outwardly from either side of the drag pass over a pair of chains, one on either side of the conveyor, which are traveling in the same direction as the conveyor but are moving upwardly at an angle thereto. The chains lift the cope and the drag off the bottom board which remains on the horizontal conveyor. When the flask and its contents are eleapproximately two feet, they pass through a shaireout station where an impact arm that is vibrating rapidly contacts the bottom edge of the flask. jars it thoroughly and continuously and causes the sand to be dislodged therefrom. The sand. and casting drop downwardly through the knockout station into a chute which directs the sand and casting to an inclined screening member where the sand is screened off into a hopper leading to a conveyor while the casting moves along to the end of the inclined surface where it drops onto another conveyor. The mechanism for processing the sand after it passes through the knockout station is illustrated in my copending application.

A special feature of this invention is a provision of eccentrically driven impact arms mounted on either side of the knockout station for contacting the opposite edges of the mold to shake the contents therefrom.

Other and further features, objects and ad.-

2 vantages of the present invention will be appar ent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary side eievational view of a novel shaizeout device mounted on suitable conveyors according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal plan view of the shal-zeout station of the device of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on line lII-I1I of Figure 2;

Figure 4. is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line IVIV of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the device of the present invention and taken on line "v -V of Figure 1.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1, the reference numaral i0 is a com veyor, the conveying surface of which travels in a substantially horizontal plane. This conveyor may he of any standard type such as the con veyor illustrated in Figure 5 wherein a plurality of elongated trays i2 having overlapping end portions pivotally mounted on a suitable drive carriage (not shown).

On either side of the conveyor is and substantially parallel thereto, an endless chain [3 is mounted. Each of these chains is engaged, as shown at the extreme left end of. Figure 1, by a sprocket it which is secured to a shaft 15 journaled in hearings it; mounted on rigid support blocks ll. At the extreme right end of Figure 1 each chain is engaged around a sprocket it which is keyed or otherwise secured to an axle 2t journaled hearing it on a support platform 22 of a frame structure 23. The shaft 2!) is driven by a pair of gears 25 secured thereto at the side of the conveyor and are in mesh with gears 26 mounted thereabove on a shaft 35! journaled in bearings 3! which are secured to an upper platform 32 of the frame structure '23. An electric motor 33 (Figure 5), drives the shaft 35 through a speed reducer and a coupling 35.

As viewed in Figure l, the upper portion of each chain i3 is arranged to be pulled to the right by the associated sprocket i9. Rollers 38 (Figure 4) disposed over the pins which connect the links on either side of the chain it ride on a track provided by an upright plate lii which extends for substantially the entire length of the chain conveyor. A plate 46 is provided for each chain on either side of the conveyor and may be suitably supported by cross braces :32 secured between spaced channel members 43 (Figure 4) which are supported by legs 44 to define a guide structure 45 having one slanted portion 45a (Figure 1) leading up to the shakeout station, a second slanted portion 4527 leading downwardly therefrom, and a central substantially horizontal section 450 therebetween. Thus, as seen in Figure 1, the chains l3 are guided and supported as they pass under the side arms 46 of the drag and lift the flask with its contents off the bottom board 46a.

In their reverse lower travel, the chains 13 are slack and are supported on a plurality of rollers 41 mounted from a frame member 48 of the guide structure.

A chute l!) (Figures 1, 2 and 3) underlies the opening between the channel members 43 and the shakeout station and has a lower portion 49a slanted laterally oi the conveyor to direct the sand and casting pushed out of the flask into a screening member (not shown).

The shakeout device of this invention which is effective to dislodge the sand and solidified castings from the tight flask mold includes two separately driven eccentric shakeout mechanisms, one mounted on each side of the support structure at the shakeout station, as seen in Fig ures 2, 3 and 4. Since these shakeout mechanisms are identical, it is believed that a detail description of one will be sufficient to disclose this feature of the invention.

Each shakeout device comprises a cylindrical housing 55 (Figure 4) which is suitably secured, as by bolts 53, on a platform 55a in a cut-out portion 55b of one of the channel members 43. Inside of the housing til bearing assemblies and 58 are held in spaced axial relation by a sleeve member 59. A shaft 69 is rotatably journaled in the bearing assemblies 5'1 and 58 and carries at one end a driven pulley El. The other end 8% is provided with an eccentric shaft portion which has an eccentricity indicated by the letter X in Figure 4. Bearing assemblies 52 and it are disposed around the eccentric ends 6% of the shaft 66 and carry an impact housing St thereon.

The shaft (it is rotated by means of a belt (Figure 1) disposed about the pulley 5i and driven from a pulley connected to the shaft of a motor fill) which is supported on a platform of a support structure G5.

As best seen in Figure the impact housing '64 has arms Sta and B ll) which extend sidewise in a direction parallel to the channel members 33. As the shaft end 6% is rotated eocentrically about the axis of the shaft Ki l the entire impact frame 64 will tend to oscillate in an orbital path.

At the ends of the arms and 94b impact pads and 66?) are mounted. These pads, as shown in Figure are the members that contact the lower rim of the drag to impart a shaking movement thereto. A similar pad 65c is mounted on the housing 6t directly above the end of the shaft In orde to absorb some of the shock incident to this operation rubber bumper members 68 are disposed at one end in suitable recesses in the arm members 64a and 55b and at the other end in frame members 69 which are secured to the channel t3 and are braced by reinforcing web members it. These rubber bumper members 623 also prevent tilting of the impact head 6 during its orbital movement.

As seen in Figure 4 a leather boot E2 is disposed around the joint between the impact head 64 and the housing on each shakeout device to pre- '4 vent dirt from entering the bearing assemblies. Also a bearing cap 13 is suitably disposed over the end of the shaft 600 and is secured by any suitable means to the impact head 64.

Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that in operation, flasks containing a mold and the solidified casting are carried upwardly along the inclined structure 45a by the chain conveyor [3 and are conveyed across the shakeout station. As a flask approaches the vibrating shakeout device, the impact head 66a will contact the lower edge of the flask and begin to vibrate it. This vibrating operation can be carried on with a very slight stroke inasmuch as it is not neces sary to even lift the flask from the chain 13 in order to provide sufficient vibration of the flask to dislodge it contents.

As the flask proceeds on the chain l3 across the shakeout station it is contacted successively by the first impact head 66a, the middle impact head 66c and the last impact head 681). It is apparent that when the mold reaches the last impact head it will have been substantially emptied of its contents and this last impact head will act merely as a final jarring device.

In this shakeout mechanism there is no necessity for the operation of the shakeout device to be timed with any of the conveyors. The shakeout device is operated continuously and will operate on any flask as it approaches the shakeout station. Thus, this shakeout mechanism is positive in action and does not require a complicated timing mechanism.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mold cleaning system, a continuously movable conveyor arranged to both support and move along a string of successive filled flasks, continuously operable vibrator means below the path of the conveyor and independent from said conveyor, and contact means on said vibrator means positioned to act directly against and progressively along the sides of each flask as it passes by to shake out the contents of the flask.

2. In a mold cleaning system, a continuously movable conveyor arranged to both support and move along a string of successive filled flasks, continuously operable vibrator means below the path or" the conveyor and independent from said conveyor, contact head means on said vibrator means adjacent the sides of the conveyor, and a plurality of impact pads on each said head means spaced apart longitudinally of the conveyor to act directly against the sides of a flask as it passes by and shake out the contents of the flask.

3. In a mold cleaning system, a continuously movable conveyor arranged to both support and move along a string of successive filled flasks, continuously operable vibrator means below the path of the conveyor and independent from said conveyor, a relatively wide head on said vibrator means extending along each side of the conveyor, and spaced impact pads on each said head to act directly on the respective side of a flask as it passes by and shake out the contents of the flask, the pads on each head being spaced sufficiently far apart that impact action at intervals Will occur simultaneously on different filled flasks.

ALFRED C. CHRISTENSEN.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Waite Apr. 24, 1906 5 Thiemann Feb. 2, 1915 Peterson Nov. 9, 1915 Prince Apr. 20, 1920 Schuyler et a1 May 8, 1923 Burgess Oct. 9, 1923 10 Robertson et a1. Mar. 30, 1926 Number Number Name Date McCabe Nov. 5, 1929 Piper June 11, 1934 Behnke Nov. 5, 1935 Wenander Mar. 16, 1948 Wilde Aug. 23, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain July 2, 1934 Sweden June 26, 1945 

